Oops! Samuel L. Jackson reveals Elizabeth Olsen will be in ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’

Will Perkins

Blogger

Wide ScreenOctober 3, 2013

Did Nick Fury just spill the beans?

The folks at Marvel Studios may run a very tight ship, particularly when it comes to casting announcements and anything else to do with their on-screen properties. But not even they can keep Samuel L. Jackson from speaking his mind.

Hot on the heels of his much-talked-about “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” cameo appearance (the ABC TV series shares the same universe as big screen heroes like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America), Jackson spoke to the Wall Street Journal about Fury’s post-credits appearance and what next fans can expect from the upcoming “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

“I don’t think we begin shooting before March of next year,” Jackson said, referring to the highly anticipated “Avengers” sequel. "I know we’re shooting in London, that James Spader is Ultron and going to be the bad guy, and that we added Ms. [Elizabeth] Olsen [who will play the Scarlet Witch], but I don’t know what she’s doing, if she’s on the inside or the outside. I haven’t seen a script.”

While most of what Jackson said in regards to “Age of Ultron's” villain and shooting dates is old news, the bit about up-and-coming actress Elizabeth Olsen being a part of the superpowered sequel was newsworthy. For months, there have been rumours that Olsen was in talks for the role of Scarlet Witch, but there has been no official announcement from the Marvel camp. Irish actress Saoirse Ronan had previously been in the running for the part.

So is Jackson just reading the same Scarlet Witch rumours as we are or does he know for sure? Given that he’s Marvel’s go-to guy – the glue that holds the whole film and TV-spanning enterprise together, as it were – and just starred alongside Olsen in Spike Lee’s “Old Boy,” it’s probably a safe bet that Jackson is in the know. Now we just wait for the official word from Marvel.

Scarlet Witch, also known as Wanda Maximoff, is a very important character in the Marvel universe. A mutant with powerful telekinetic abilities, she and her brother Pietro (a.k.a. Quicksilver) are the children of Magneto in the comic books. Film rights issues will likely make mentioning that connection the "Avengers" sequel impossible, but it's a nice bit of trivia. According to director Joss Whedon, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver will be key players in "Age of Ultron," but it's not clear whose side the characters will be taking.

Jackson and Olsen will be seen together in the upcoming "Oldboy," out on Nov. 27, and "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" is scheduled for a May 1, 2015 release.